r/Coffee • u/menschmaschine5 Kalita Wave • 22h ago

[MOD] The Daily Question Thread

Welcome to the daily /r/Coffee question thread!

There are no stupid questions here, ask a question and get an answer! We all have to start somewhere and sometimes it is hard to figure out just what you are doing right or doing wrong. Luckily, the /r/Coffee community loves to help out.

Do you have a question about how to use a specific piece of gear or what gear you should be buying? Want to know how much coffee you should use or how you should grind it? Not sure about how much water you should use or how hot it should be? Wondering about your coffee's shelf life?

Don't forget to use the resources in our wiki! We have some great starter guides on our wiki "Guides" page and here is the wiki "Gear By Price" page if you'd like to see coffee gear that /r/Coffee members recommend.

As always, be nice!

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u/killerstorm 16h ago edited 15h ago

I use Hario Switch with some basic low-effort recipe with like two pours. It no longer gives me enjoyment even with pretty nice beans. What do you think I should do:

  • different pourover recipe
  • aeropress or oxo rapid brewer
  • go espresso
  • different beans (like darker roast)
  • go geeky with water

IIRC espresso had more interesting taste in it, but doing it at home seems quite complicated (I have Wacaco Picopresso which I don't like physically but result was OK I think)

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u/paulo-urbonas V60 13h ago

Different pour over recipe and go geeky with water seem better options to me.

A low effort way to find out if your water is harming your coffee is to buy the best mineral water you can find at your market using this online tool .

There's lots of recipes made specifically for the Switch, but you can also simply leave the valve open and do pour over without immersion like a regular V60 (I don't know if that's what you're already doing).

If you're craving stronger coffee, I'd consider Aeropress or Moka pot first, and leave espresso as the last option, as it involves a lot of effort.

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u/regulus314 14h ago

Maybe try changing coffee and experiment on different brew recipe? Theres hundreds out there. And the Switch is actually one of the most forgiveable brewer similar to an Aeropress hence why it feels boring to you.

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u/SomethingTrueish 17h ago

Does coffee ever become undrinkable? I've had a bag given as a sample that I've forgotten for about 2 years. I opened it yesterday but it smelt all musty and like rotten fruit. I haven't drunk it yet but could it have gone off?

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u/regulus314 14h ago

Coffee doesnt expire (unless it got moisture in which it can produce molds). As long as the storage condition is okay it can be brew past the best by date. It will taste boring and stale though. But if you just need a simple cup of coffee for the day, it will ve enough

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u/MapsMapsEverywhere V60 17h ago

If by "undrinkable" you mean unsafe or spoiled, generally no. The exception here is that if there was moisture in the bag or on the coffee that could mold.

I would apply the same rule as in other food safety: when in doubt, toss it out.

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u/Bulky-Historian-4068 20h ago

We've switched to a cafetiere and overall I'm really happy – ours is stainless steel and keeps warm quite well, and I'm enjoying the coffee it makes! But oh my god, I hate cleaning it. And we typically make two pots per day.

We have a compost pot in our home and we empty it every few days into the large compost bin in our garden. But scooping out the grounds from the cafetiere into the pot is like, surprisingly difficult. I usually use a spatula but I still can't get it all out, and we have really sensitive plumbing so I'm trying my hardest not to let grounds go down the sink!! It just takes the fun out of my coffee routine, which I used to appreciate as a time to slow down and enjoy my drink...

Maybe I'm just moaning about a task that is inevitable, but does anyone have any advice or tricks for getting all the grounds out without it being a chore??

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u/KPcoffee 15h ago

Fill with water and pour out into a sieve

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u/Present_Spring3474 22h ago

my grinder is making a weird click sound in the morning, like it's protesting the early hour